This is something that “Captain” Peter DeCola helped to cover up. “John” and the victim are both willing to testify when and if charges are ever brought up against Peter DeCola.

John, United States Coast Guard

We had a woman come on our base from another unit where she reported a rape. Before she even made it to our unit everyone knew why she was being transferred and we were told to stay away from her cause we don’t want to find ourselves in a situation that would have her accusing us of rape.

She was assigned to work at the on-base coffee shop and I saw her every morning when I went to get my coffee. Over time I would have small talk with her and she was very quiet and reserved but you can tell that she was a very nice person and not the “lying, crazy whore that was raped” that everyone made her out to be but I still kept my distance and only talked to her a few minutes each morning.

All the buildings on base are connected to each other through walkways. One afternoon I was walking to another building and saw a group of Coast Guardsmen in one corner of the walkway towards the building. When I looked closer I saw the woman surrounded by the men crying telling them to leave her alone. They were calling her a “crazy, lying whore” and telling her that she will pay for “snitching on their friend” and one said that “you are hot, I’ll love to rape you too”. I made my presence noticed by asking what is going on here and soon all the men backed off and acted like they were not doing anything wrong. They greeted me and left. The woman, her uniform ripped up and her in tears ran off the opposite direction. I couldn’t even ask her if she was okay but she was obviously very shaken up.

I went straight to the Coast Guard Investigative Office on base to report what happened and the special agent told me that he knows who I am talking about and that the “investigation is a mess” and it is best that I do “not get involved”. I was forced to leave. Christine Sullivan and Patricia Tutalo from work life was not any better. I knew that if I pushed the issue that my career would be in jeopardy.

Residing in the North End I often took my dog on walks to one of the few public parks in the neighbor; a park directly next to Coast Guard Boston on Commercial Street. A Coast Guardsman that recognized me as a Street Team member was clearly not happy with us helping rape survivors. The name on his blouse said DeCola . I later found out was Peter DeCola the Executive Officer of Coast Guard Boston. Decola chose not to help a shipmate that were being forced out of her career for reporting rape.

What a SICK man. I am tired of people like Peter DeCola to continue their anti-Coast Guard stance making it look like we are all sexist, misogynistic a-holes. Unlike Captain DeCola most of choose to serve in the military because we are proud of our country and want to serve it. Not because we want to put down rape survivors.

Lieutenant Commander Patricia J. Tutalo (Patti Tutalo) of the United States Coast Guard is accused by dozens of service members and veterans for violating their human and civil rights. More to come soon.

The above screen shot was part of the OFFICIAL Coast Guard blog with a comment written by someone claiming to be a military sexual trauma survivor of the United States Coast Guard. They sign their name only as “Coast Guard veteran” and then went on from what I can see be a very sad but respectful post on how they’ll be marching in a veterans’ day parade waving a Coast Guard flag. “Coast Guard Veteran” wrote about MST veterans being shun out of service and how they may not feel that they have earned the title of veteran and that they indeed should be honored and respected like all other Honorable Discharged veterans.

Chris Lagan, United States Coast Guard public affairs, then went on and said because this veteran did not state his/her name that it can not and will not be approved to be posted on the Coast Guard blog. Okay, fine even though I did just went on the blog and there are MANY others who sign their names as “a veteran” or “wife of a BM2″ those are fine but “Coast Guard veteran” which is not offensive or anything at all is not okay?

Well that is the minor of the two issues. What is the bigger problem is how he automatically assumed that it was a false accusations. You do not know who this veteran is. You do not know their name. You do not know his/her story. You do not know if they were telling the truth. You do not know a damm thing about them since you already alleged that you can not approve the post since it was ‘anonymous’.

Christopher, what is your obsession on telling rape survivors that they are liars? Most women who are raped are raped and false accusations are very rare. However in the Coast Guard, 92% of women are involuntarily discharged from service but not before being told that they are “crazy, lying, whores” and this is no different. Chris Lagan, you said that this survivor posted anonymously so what do you know about them to cry false accusation?

As for the attack of the service claim. What it an attack that she or he is proudly representing the Coast Guard in a veteran day parade. Is it an attack that we should not forget those who been raped in the service and they are veterans like the rest of us?

Now that it is sexual assault awareness month and he is once again making a fool of himself by dismissing sexual assault and rape survivors-including those that are using their full name to say that they have been raped. Is saying that you have been raped an attack on the service? I feel the opposite is, allowing our brave service members to suffer in silence and those who are speaking out to be dismissed is an attack on the people who are serving. Assuming that anyone that come forward, even if you don’t know their name, that they are lying about an assault or lying about being discharged from service is an attack on those who are serving and have been raped. Numerous studies show that 92% of all rape survivors in the Coast Guard are INVOLUNTARILY DISCHARGED FROM SERVICE and this person is part of this 92%. Christopher Lagan, you are failing sexual assault and rape survivors in the United States Coast Guard. Rape survivor deserve to be validated, believed and respected. If you can’t accept that then maybe Public Relations is not for you.

Remember you are being paid for by tax dollars and not to withhold the public (aka “Coast Guard veteran”) opinion especially if it did not go against any policies. Do you find it humorous to silence a RAPE survivor. Does crying false accusations to every rape survivor who was involuntarily discharged from service make you feel more like a man?

Looks like Cgreport also picked up on this topic and devoted a week to it. Wouldn’t it have been easier to just allow a rape survivor to say that rape survivors are also veterans and let not forget them?

Congratulations Christopher Lagan, United States Coast Guard: You succeeded in being an A-hole.

This story is from 2006 but I just found out now so here I am writing about it.

In 2006 a Coast Guard petty officer did soft porn for a major, national magazine. According to a Coast Guard public affairs officer, the magazine with the help of the Coast Guard found this petty office to strip almost nude to pose on what looks to be on a Coast Guard base. The body parts that was covered was done so with Coast Guard issued gear but for the most part remained nude. The article went on to promote the Coast Guard, the work that they do and specifically what this petty officer does. Coast Guard using soft porn to promote themselves, how fucking sick.

Here the photo.

so why am I posting this? No, not cause he is hot (he not my type even though Coast Guard public affairs went gaga over him when questioned by the media) but imagine if it was a woman who posed half nude or-with a bikini top. What if she was wearing a miniskirt? We would have heard it all, whore, slut, women are getting raped at an epidemic rate because look at what they are wearing…but it is okay when a male enlisted member goes in the pages of a national magazine and does what I consider soft porn. Was he dishonorably discharged? Was he called a slut by his own shipmates? Why do I have a feeling that the Coast Guard viewed this as something positive.

Enough with the double standards. If a woman did this she would have been considered a whore so with the same mentality Josh Miramontez is a whore. If a man gets raped was it because men in the Coast Guard go around showing their bodies to everyone who asks? You see how stupid your argument is now Coast Guard?

A recent returning veteran of the Massachusetts National Guard who was raped by a fellow Guardsman committed suicide late last week. I do not have much details expect from what she personally told me for months prior to her death. We talked often, having met at a sexual assault support group and she told me gruesome accounts of what happened to her when she was raped and even worse the way that Lori Alix and Kelly Souza “helped” this woman-aka DID NOT GIVE A DAMM THAT SHE WAS RAPED. For her privacy I won’t go into details about what she told me except that it was disgraceful.

What I do want to talk about is the “improvements” or so they say. The twenty-four hours hotline at 508-889-6644 is still a hit or miss and most often a miss meaning we can not get through. The “Safe Helpline” at times do require up to a 2 hours wait to talk to someone. TWO HOURS WAIT TO TALK TO SOMEONE ONLINE? To be fair that is the DOD headquarters SAPR aka Kaye Whitley and not the Massachusetts National Guard fault but still putting a link to a on-line chatline is not an improvement. It only brings more stress to a survivor. If it was not for pure scientific purposes I probably would not have stayed the entire two hours to wait to chat with someone on line. The actual chat was not worth the two hours wait.

There and Back Again, a combat-veteran PTSD program that is often filled with MEN and many rape survivors find even the website to be triggering let alone the actual program is still up there. It is run by a JAG in the Army , Sue Lynch, so obviously this is a case that they rather please a military officer than to do the right thing and take it off. If only Sue Lynch if you reading this do what is right and tell them that the safety and protection of rape survivors is more important than shamelessly advertising your program.

I was raped in the military. I have also worked with rape survivors specifically with NOW and RAINN for many years before RAINN went downhill (NOW still rocks) and unless you been in our shoes you just won’t get it. Massachusetts National Guard, I know you read this on a daily basis (I check IP addresses of people that visit this blog) so take these FREE advice from someone that been there if you are seriously about helping survivors.

According to the VICTIMS, yes more than one, Scott Keene has under his time in the United States Coast Guard has promoted a culture that was misogynstic and often forced out women for reporting a rape. One victim has dozens of documents from Scott Keene stating that because she was raped that she no longer can serve in the United States Coast Guard. Another victim, with connections at Coast Guard headquarters were allowed to fight Scott Keene and keep her career and recently retired as a Chief Warrant Officer.

I do not feel that a man who did that should be working in an institution that has their own problems with rape and sexual assault in which survivors felt that the university did not take their allegations seriously should hire someone who is well-known to cover up and ignore rape allegations during his years working in the military. In the case regarding the latest (known) victim, the victim has dozens of copies of emails and official Coast Guard documents proving that he allowed under his command a culture that further abuse and victimize women that came forward with rape.

This is the email from Boston University. This is the patriarchy system that we need to fight. This email below is why I am writing this post and why I am dedicating all my time to ensure that students at Boston University are safe. Scott Keene may be in the finance department but he may or may not have connections, friendships and talk to others in departments that have a say in how a rape case is handled. The email has shown, to me, that without even requesting further evidence including the official documents that at least one victim is willing to make public that Larry Elswit by automatically dismissing our case.

If Boston University does not like what I say they have two options: They can sue me or they can work with me and the survivors to improve Boston University and take all who been involved in rape or victimization of rape victims removed from their campus regardless if they are a janitor or a Director. Boston University does not need them. Protect your student or sue me. Your choice.

Good morning Isabella –

I am writing in response to your February 21 note, in which you claim that “Boston University put it[s] female students in danger” and that a University employee has “been involved in covering up multiple assaults throughout his Coast Guard career…” Your first allegation is false, and we have found no evidence to suggest there is any basis for your second claim.

Boston University treats allegations of sexual harassment and sexual assault very seriously, and does not tolerate any form of misconduct based upon gender. There is no evidence to suggest that the University has knowingly hired any employee who might place our students, or our female employees, in danger. We can all empathize with the victims of sexual assault and their families, whether in the Armed Forces or on campus. This institution is extremely pro-active in its efforts to assure that all our students live, learn, and mature in a safe environment. To suggest otherwise, as you have done, is both unfair and untrue, since you do not have facts to suggest that BU in any way behaved improperly, or turned a blind eye to any employee’s past. I strongly discourage you from making any such suggestions in the future. We will not tolerate any false, unfounded claims that cause damage to the University’s reputation.

If you know how to reach ***** ***, I would be grateful if you pass this note to her. She also wrote about the University in this context and I have tried, unsuccessfully, to reach her.